lucius septimius 1/7/2021 5:53:28 AM

1

Things coming down the pike now that Trump has given complete control of government to the Democrats:

1) Eco-despotism, with the result of companies failing, rising unemployment, increased food costs, massive increases in energy cost.  The 4th quintile will not be able to afford to pay for both utilities and groceries.  Cars will become impossible to own except for the rich.

2) Race policies will isolate poor and working-class whites and ensure that they cannot find well-paying jobs.  Redistribution and "equity" programs, meanwhile, will transform blacks (but not other "people of color") into a defacto aristocracy.

3) Speech policies -- massive censorship and ruthless suppression of dissent on the model of Cuba.  Saying the wrong thing will assure that you can never work again. 

4) Rights of Citizens -- the Bill of Rights will effectively be suspended.  Due process will disappear.  Drum-head trials and witch-hunting tactics will become the norm.  

5) Only the Democratic Party will be allowed.  The Republican Party will be declared illegal; minor "third parties"  will be permitted but laws (such as those in Germany) limiting "fringe" candidates will be put in place.

6) Centralization -- goodbye states' rights

7) "Popular Election" of President and Senate -- disenfranchisement of all who live outside of major cities.

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 6:03:54 AM

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Good morning. I have to say, the Democrats’ newfound  dedication to “law and  order” is certainly heartening, isn’t it?

/

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 6:06:03 AM

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In #1 lucius septimius said: Trump has given complete control of government to the Democrats

That’s, er, one way yo put it, I guess.

But anyway.  Enough with the despair, people.  Get pur ground game together and fight. (And no, I don’t mean “storm the Capitol“ which is just stupid.)

lucius septimius 1/7/2021 6:12:01 AM

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In #3 Occasional Reader said: That’s, er, one way yo put it, I guess.

The polls in Georgia make it clear that Trump pissed in the soup.  He lost the election here.  In one county alone something like 100,000 folks who had voted for Trump didn't bother to vote because "stolen election." 

Encouraging the occupation of the capital building was also disgraceful.  As someone said yesterday, first Trump gave them the Senate, now he's given them a mandate.

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 6:20:37 AM

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In #4 lucius septimius said: Encouraging the occupation of the capital building

I don’t know that he did.  AFAIK, he encouraged the rally, yes, but I am not aware of him urging anyone to break into the Capitol.

lucius septimius 1/7/2021 6:34:34 AM

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In #5 Occasional Reader said: I am not aware of him urging anyone to break into the Capitol.

It's a St. Bartholomew's Day moment.  He told them to march up Pennsylvania Avenue.  They simply drew the conclusion of what to do.  What he didn't do was thank them and tell them to go home which is what he should have done.

buzzsawmonkey 1/7/2021 6:55:25 AM

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Even if you don't listen to NPR, you have to listen to this interview from today's Morning Edition.  They talk with one Eddie Glaude, chair of Princeton University's Department of African-American Studies.

This insane, hate-filled, fact-challenged racist is the head of a department at a major American university.  And you need to hear what he has to say because it is a harbinger of things to come.

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 7:03:22 AM

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In #4 lucius septimius said: In one county alone something like 100,000 folks who had voted for Trump didn't bother to vote because "stolen election." 

This is the thing that pisses me off. Many Trump voters are not Republicans and don't understand how party politics work. Their loyalty is to the man himself, and we can't count on them to help us retake Congress in '22. OTOH the Never Trumpers are a bunch of crapweasels. 

Someone should write a comparative study of Trump and Huey Long. Not that they're alike so much as they both represent outsiders who appealed to a constituency that felt ignored. The chapter on Long's radio appearances vs The Apprentice would be fascinating. 

buzzsawmonkey 1/7/2021 7:06:22 AM

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I don't know if people are aware of this, but it was all over NPR this morning.  They are trying to invoke the 25th Amendment on fast track to remove Trump from office before he officially leaves in two weeks.

They are that terrified of him.

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 7:07:08 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 6:

He did tell them to go home, but only after they stormed the Capitol. But he prefaced it with another assertion that he had won in a landslide, which did not help.

lucius septimius 1/7/2021 7:12:35 AM

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In #10 doppelganglander said: only after they stormed the Capitol.

That being the key point.

JCM 1/7/2021 7:38:09 AM

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JCM 1/7/2021 7:53:48 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 1:

Do forget the court packing.

JCM 1/7/2021 8:01:47 AM

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My cats are being cats.... knocking stuff off my desk...

Reminded me of a joke.

How do we know the earth is not flat?

...

Cats haven't pushed everything off the edge.

Kosh's Shadow 1/7/2021 8:18:24 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 1:

Massive food shortages. We do not have equipment to farm using electricity, and even if we did, the power lines to recharge the equipment do not exist. 

And both farming and transportation are low-margin. They cannot afford to replace all their equipment with electric equipment. Rail lines are very expensive to electrify. Replacing all the trucks on the road is vastly expensive, even if we China could produce all the batteries needed.

And try to do that with just "green" energy? Especially when environuts will protest the power lines needed to bring the electricity where it is needed?

Kosh's Shadow 1/7/2021 8:21:07 AM

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In #12 JCM said: We have seen the last Republican President.

The only reason Trump won the first time is because the media and Democrats (but I repeat myself) could not imagine he'd win, so they didn't try hard enough to prevent it. This time they were prepared. Otherwise, we'd have a continuous stream of palooka Republicans, showing up just to pretend that we had a choice.

There will still be a republican party - of those willing to pretend we have a choice, but support "bipartisanship", which means now going along with the Democrats.

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 8:53:34 AM

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Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 8:58:36 AM

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In #6 lucius septimius said: It's a St. Bartholomew's Day moment.  He told them to march up Pennsylvania Avenue.  They simply drew the conclusion of what to do.

Or, he was implicitly telling them to go *protest* at the capitol building. Not to occupy it.

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 8:59:13 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 18:

if he sent more explicit messages about “occupy“ and I’m not aware of it, I would certainly reconsider.

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 9:08:16 AM

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Kosh's Shadow 1/7/2021 9:10:38 AM

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In #19 Occasional Reader said:

Obviously Trump meant for the protest to be peaceful the same way the BLM protests were. /Msm and Democratic thinking

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 9:14:35 AM

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One thing I'm definitely not prepare to do right now is climb on the right-wing bandwagon of those who are canonizing St. Ashley (Ashlii?).

Unless there's a video that shows something other than someone trying to forcibly trespass through a window, into a room where there is visibly a law-enforcement officer pointing a gun at that window.

I’m sorry this happened, but what the hell was she thinking? What did she expect was going to happen?

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 9:16:25 AM

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Reply to doppelganglander in 20:

Oy.  I'm so sorry to hear that.

Me, I'm trying to get my son to stop watching videos on his iPad  and chat more with Daddy before "school" starts (online, three more hours of screen time).  An easier problem. 

JCM 1/7/2021 9:20:02 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 22:

Agree on that... what the hell was she thinking.

I'm really pissed at the Trump supporters that stormed the capital. They did far more harm than good at this point.

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 9:41:45 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 23:

It gets better. My ex dragged in the Tea Party and something I said a year ago about Covid being lab created (which scientists now believe is true). Seriously, my daughter was in real physical danger and they think I approve of this crap? 

Alice in Dairyland 1/7/2021 9:51:25 AM

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In #17 Occasional Reader said: Oh, please, enough with the despair already.

Thank you!  I'm having a hard time not being despondent, but I tell myself the fight has really just begun.  I can't really imagine what the next four years would have been like had Trump won, although I wish he had.  It would have made the last four years look like a walk in the park.  We now have an exact focal point to attack, as the left has had for the past four years.  The way I'm looking at it is we are now the offense instead of constantly having to play defense,  This is also the chance to weed out the traitors in the new conservative party.  I will not be a summer soldier and sunshine patriot!  We need more men like Thomas Paine.  "Oh, please, enough with the despair already",  made me think of "these are the times that try men's souls".  Thank you OR for pulling me back from the edge.

JCM 1/7/2021 9:59:02 AM

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We need a pool.

How long do they keep Biden on board before shuffling him off?

Sooner, or do they play "Weekend at Bernies" until Jan. 21, 2022 to give Harris a full 10 years?

buzzsawmonkey 1/7/2021 10:02:37 AM

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In #27 JCM said: How long do they keep Biden on board before shuffling him off?

To show his Catholic bona fides, Joe Biden will give up the presidency for Fraudu-Lent.

Alice in Dairyland 1/7/2021 10:08:34 AM

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In #27 JCM said: do they play "Weekend at Bernies" until Jan. 21, 2022 to give Harris a full 10 years?

I don't think they'll replace Biden.  That would arouse too much suspicion in their ranks.  I also don't think Harris stands a chance at the presidency, much less two terms.  She couldn't cut it in her first attempt.  People will see her agenda over the next four years and will hopefully see her for what she is.  But I have been wrong before.

Kosh's Shadow 1/7/2021 10:09:11 AM

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Reply to JCM in 27:

They can't let Biden talk to many foreign leaders. They have to get him out before he calls Putin a "dog faced pony soldier" or something worse.

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 10:23:06 AM

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In #27 JCM said: How long do they keep Biden on board before shuffling him off?

I think they'll do everything possible to keep Joe von Hindenburg officially in office until the end of this term; to remove him earlier would damage the brand.  If they can keep him more or less presentable (while limiting his appearances, etc.) for four years, and then he announces his endorsement of Harris for 2024 (so he can spend more time with his family, etc.), they'll be in a strong position.

Of course, he might just degenerate too far, too fast, for them to be able to carry him for four full years. 

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 10:24:06 AM

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Reply to Alice in Dairyland in 26:

Glad I could help.

There was also a recent article at Instapundit about how well the GOP has done at state and local levels; and how the overall trend even in Congress over the last decades has been favorable.  I'll see if I can find it.

JCM 1/7/2021 10:35:55 AM

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Reply to Alice in Dairyland in 29:

Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 30:

Reply to Occasional Reader in 31:

Was the whole Dr. Jill Biden kerfuffle meant to establish her credibility and they will do a Woodrow Wilson move where Edith ran things?

Alice in Dairyland 1/7/2021 10:37:39 AM

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In #31 Occasional Reader said: If they can keep him more or less presentable (while limiting his appearances, etc.) for four years, and then he announces his endorsement of Harris for 2024 (so he can spend more time with his family, etc.), they'll be in a strong position.

I don't think they'll be in a strong position after the next four years.  His endorsement won't mean squat if he's considered feeble, more like the kiss of death or obama's King Midas touch.  Seemed to backfire on him always.  After the next four years' exposure to the new administration, American people should be ready for a change again.  How about the new conservative party just call itself the "American Party"?  You're either an American with our best interests at heart or you're not.  You support American ideals or not.  It comes right out and identifies what side of America you are on.

Alice in Dairyland 1/7/2021 10:39:36 AM

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In #33 JCM said: Was the whole Dr. Jill Biden kerfuffle meant to establish her credibility

Don't know.  It only seemed to expose what a phony she was to me.

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 10:49:45 AM

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Reply to Alice in Dairyland in 35:

Yeah, I think it was just plain vanity, not a plan. 

JCM 1/7/2021 11:40:23 AM

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Reply to Alice in Dairyland in 35:

Of Course a Weekend at Bernie's Biden presidency is also a possiblity.

Biden is a sock puppet that much is clear. The hand in the puppet is what is important.

JCM 1/7/2021 11:44:16 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 36:

What I found amusing about that is for years I've been around a lot real Ph.Ds in high tech, and now I'm working with real rocket scientists. Never once in all those years did any of them demand to be called Dr. very few flaunted their Ph.D. They'd introduce themselves by first name and be known by first name. Only if you looked them up on LinkedIn, came across a published paper, or at a conference did you find out they were a Ph.D.

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 12:01:06 PM

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Now my son is starting in on me for not supporting Pelosi invoking the 25th amendment. He's gone in two weeks and she just wants to score political points because impeachment failed. I finally just removed myself from the group chat. (I stayed in the other chat that's all baby pictures.) Let's see how long before anyone notices.

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 12:03:11 PM

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Reply to JCM in 38:

Hey, that’s “Occasional Reader, Esq.” to you, peasant!

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 12:09:15 PM

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Reply to doppelganglander in 39:

christ. Well, if nothing else, thank you for reaffirming my decision to avoid social media.

Kosh's Shadow 1/7/2021 12:23:07 PM

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Reply to JCM in 38:

I read about a Jewish scientist or engineer who worked with von Braun after he started working for NASA.

He was asked what he called von Braun. "Herr Doktor, of course"

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 12:35:38 PM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 41:

It's not even social media. It's a family group chat on What's App. I love my son to pieces but I am not going to be a punching bag because he's upset over what happened yesterday. I am just as appalled, maybe more so because I voted for Trump but not for this. 

Alice in Dairyland 1/7/2021 12:38:05 PM

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In #39 doppelganglander said: Now my son is starting in on me for not supporting Pelosi...I finally just removed myself from the group chat. (I stayed in the other chat that's all baby pictures.) Let's see how long before anyone notices.

Probably the best decision you could make.  If he continues to attack you, maybe you could just remind him you are entitled to your own opinions, as he is his.  Explain you removed yourself from the conversation because you want to preserve your loving relationship with him.  Tell him he means more to you than politics.  It's a situation you both just have to agree to disagree on and subtly change the subject when he brings it up.  "Oh well, I love you anyways, but did you hear my neighbor Bob is getting a divorce?"  Maybe/hopefully eventually he'll get tired of dogging you and stop trying to engage you in these conversations.  I wish you strength in dealing with this.  It is a very difficult situation.

lucius septimius 1/7/2021 12:52:11 PM

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Reply to doppelganglander in 43:

Tell him so, and if he continues tell him to go fuck himself.  i wouldn't put up with that for one second.

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 12:55:29 PM

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Reply to Alice in Dairyland in 44:

Thanks, Alice. That's basically the conversation we had and I thought we were done until my ex brought up the 25th Amendment.

Paradoxically,  the reason my son is so upset with me is because he loves me and we are normally very close. He embraces the values we taught him growing up but he somehow thinks they're synonymous with the DNC platform. He can't understand how someone he loves can have a different opinion. Once Trump leaves office I think we'll be okay.

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 1:01:21 PM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 45:

I am not putting up with it, of course. I said I didn't want to damage our relationship over this, he agreed, and then he started in again. I wasn't even really arguing. 

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 1:05:17 PM

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Reply to Alice in Dairyland in 44:

Also, I'm not sure if you know this but my daughter works on Capitol Hill. She was in physical danger and terrified and I was worried sick about her. So for him to suggest I supported this or am in any way responsible for the violence is incredibly insulting. 

lucius septimius 1/7/2021 1:05:29 PM

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Reply to doppelganglander in 47:

Of course my oldest boy was arguing with me from the alt-right side this morning ...

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 1:06:02 PM

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Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 1:06:47 PM

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In #50 Occasional Reader said: And observation

*An

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 1:11:49 PM

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In #43 doppelganglander said: I am just as appalled

I am very bothered by it. I am awaiting further evidence to see if that rises to the level of “appalled“.

I mean.  I’m very sorry your daughter was caught up in this, and it must’ve been frightening for her. But what I’m seeing is basically a, yes, “ mostly peaceful“ large rally, with one specific locus of inexcusable behavior focused on the US capitol.  And even there, the behavior was certainly rowdy, but I’m not sure it was “insurrection“, or anything like the incredibly violent behavior we witnessed during the rioting this spring and summer.

The whole thing is a huge loss for conservativism in this country, no doubt about it. But some of the rhetoric I’m seeing being thrown around? I don’t know, I am reminded a bit of the Covington boys. During the first 24 to 48 hours after that incident, everybody absolutely “new“ what had happened, that those boys were vicious racists, etc.

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 1:21:09 PM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 49:

Wouldn't that be an argument for pay-per-view.  The ironic thing is that all my kids learned to argue at mother's knee. I'm sort of proud of that even when I think they're wrong.

JCM 1/7/2021 1:21:56 PM

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War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength.

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 1:22:24 PM

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In #52 Occasional Reader said: new

Sigh.  

doppelganglander 1/7/2021 1:26:30 PM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 52:

Thanks for your concern - I was worried about you too, in case the violence spread. Which goes to your point - it didn't spread because the overwhelming majority of people in attendance were not violent. They couldn't have known what was about to happen any more than we could have predicted the post-election insanity. 

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 1:55:32 PM

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In #56 doppelganglander said: was worried about you too, in case the violence spread

Thanks. Things were perfectly, “uptown“ where I live. But I did check that I had gas masks ready for me and a little guy before going to bed, and that the magazine tube was loaded in the shotgun. Not a fun feeling.

Kenneth 1/7/2021 2:00:03 PM

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Greetings Comrades! Happy New Year to all of you.

Also, WTF is happening in DC?

Alice in Dairyland 1/7/2021 2:21:17 PM

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Reply to doppelganglander in 48: I was not aware of your daughter's employment.  I bet you could barely breathe while this was all going on.  One thing I noticed from the very beginning was there were no police cars being fire bombed, no buildings being torched, no firemen or EMS being ambushed, no people being beaten up on the street and they pretty much all went home when the 6:00pm curfew was called.  While there certainly were some pretty bad people involved in the breach of the Capitol, most really were protesting peacefully.  It was a very small percentage of the overall crowd that caused the problem.  Hopefully, they will be prosecuted.

Alice in Dairyland 1/7/2021 2:23:15 PM

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In #58 Kenneth said: Also, WTF is happening in DC?

See what happens when you elect someone like Biden for your president??????  Half the country goes crazy!

Occasional Reader 1/7/2021 2:32:20 PM

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In #58 Kenneth said: WTF is happening in DC?

We’re just doing the job that Canadians won’t do. Or at least, haven’t done since 1814.

/

JCM 1/7/2021 3:53:01 PM

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Grrrr....

Have a problem with the eCAD program, an object I built when placed in a design changes.

So I entered a support ticket.

The response was, oh, "that is simple just have the librarian fix it"...... support rep totally missed the problem.

My response was ... if it was simple I the librarian, me, would have fixed it.

Then lots and lots of pictures, showing exactly what I showed before, how the part is correctly designed and how it changes when placed in a design.

This time I added my full signature to the email... the one with my titles and accreditations..... 

Kosh's Shadow 1/7/2021 4:07:14 PM

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Reply to JCM in 62:

I've entered support tickets and ended up finding the solution myself, because support could not figure it out.

I have video editing software that would crash when trying to rip DVDs of police interviews for my wife (not copy protected; legal for her to copy).

Turned out the second part had a negative audio offset that screwed crashed the software. One piece of software to find the problem, and another to convert that section and fix it. They pointed me to the first software but gave me a link to the 32 bit version; I found the 64 bit version myself.

I have a few other cases of this.

lucius septimius 1/7/2021 4:08:17 PM

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Kosh's Shadow 1/7/2021 4:08:52 PM

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The rioters also included a bunch of Jew-haters

The storming of Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon by militant supporters of US President Donald Trump featured several instances of antisemitic agitation, from a virulent Holocaust denier who helped ransack House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office to various individuals who displayed far-right and neo-Nazi slogans and symbols.

Shortly after the crowd broke into the Capitol Building at 1PM, Nick Fuentes — a notorious Holocaust denier and far-right propagandist who was booted from the YouTube platform in Feb. 2020 — as well as Tim Gionet, a neo-Nazi who goes by the moniker “Baked Alaska,” smashed their way into Pelosi’s office. For the next 20 minutes, the two livestreamed footage of the assault on Capitol Hill, with Gionet ostentatiously making calls from the telephone on Pelosi’s desk.

A number of photographs posted to social media showed rioters dressed in T-shirts bearing antisemitic slogans. One man wore a shirt with the words “Camp Auschwitz” printed above a skull and crossbones.

buzzsawmonkey 1/7/2021 4:30:48 PM

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In #38 JCM said: now I'm working with real rocket scientists. Never once in all those years did any of them demand to be called Dr. very few flaunted their Ph.D. They'd introduce themselves by first name and be known by first name.

In my father's lab, it was considered gauche to refer to anyone as "Dr." It was assumed you had a doctorate, and if you didn't---there were a lot of people in the technical area who merely held master's degrees---it was considered rude to call attention to that.

Dad was sometimes referred to as "Dr." in other areas---and, of course, he was entitled to that---but he never insisted on it, never presumed on the title, never introduced himself that way, and always took the usage in stride and good humor.

JCM 1/7/2021 4:33:24 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 63:

I find this worse. It's top of the eCAD suite, we're paying in the 7 figures for licenses and support. With this type of software you don't buy the software, you buy an annual license, support costs extra.

For that amount of money I expect first class support.

Kosh's Shadow 1/7/2021 4:54:12 PM

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In #67 JCM said: I find this worse. It's top of the eCAD suite, we're paying in the 7 figures for licenses and support. With this type of software you don't buy the software, you buy an annual license, support costs extra. For that amount of money I expect first class support.

Contact purchasing, tell them you are not getting the support you are paying for and they should contact the vendor to tell them if they want the money, they fix the problem.

Of course, migrating to another system often is barely possible if possible at all.

JCM 1/7/2021 4:59:00 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 68:

Always can escalate.

Migration... ha there are 3 software suites in the arena for what we are doing. One just doesn't have the chops for how complex our designs are. Only one of the remaining two allows for multiple designers to be working on a project simultaneously.

We're locked in.